Michael came to me looking for a touring bike with specific requirements for the racks. Michael is a custom bag maker with some serious skills out of San Francisco. He designed a set of panniers that hold onto the rack via a long flap with velcro. Because of this, a slot needed to be incorporated into the design on both the front and rear racks. The design we came up with is unique and strong. The complex joints on the front low rider and compound bends all around made for a tricky build but the final product is ready for some serious touring. The rest of the bike isn’t too shabby either. The frame is fillet brazed and finished with an anthracite gray metallic paint. Braze-ons for a third water bottle are on the underside of the down tube as well as a set of replacement spokes on the drive side chain stay. Stainless fenders and dynamo lighting make the bike a great commuter as well. The low riders on the front can be removed and stored away when not doing longer tours. The stem is a custom one with an integrated hanger that matches the rear and it’s plated to match the racks. The decaleur off of the stem is made from the bones of a Velo-Orange one and was chrome plated with everything else. Michael is in the bicycle industry as well and supplied all of the parts. It has a Shimano Ultegra drive train with Dura Ace down tube shifters. The tires mounted are 35mm in width but there is clearance for a 38. The bike rides smooth as silk and I’m excited to get the full ride report from him!
See the full slideshow of the build.
A touring bike for Michael with one of a kind racks
March 27, 2015
Michael came to me looking for a touring bike with specific requirements for the racks. Michael is a custom bag maker with some serious skills out of San Francisco. He designed a set of panniers that hold onto the rack via a long flap with velcro. Because of this, a slot needed to be incorporated into the design on both the front and rear racks. The design we came up with is unique and strong. The complex joints on the front low rider and compound bends all around made for a tricky build but the final product is ready for some serious touring. The rest of the bike isn’t too shabby either. The frame is fillet brazed and finished with an anthracite gray metallic paint. Braze-ons for a third water bottle are on the underside of the down tube as well as a set of replacement spokes on the drive side chain stay. Stainless fenders and dynamo lighting make the bike a great commuter as well. The low riders on the front can be removed and stored away when not doing longer tours. The stem is a custom one with an integrated hanger that matches the rear and it’s plated to match the racks. The decaleur off of the stem is made from the bones of a Velo-Orange one and was chrome plated with everything else. Michael is in the bicycle industry as well and supplied all of the parts. It has a Shimano Ultegra drive train with Dura Ace down tube shifters. The tires mounted are 35mm in width but there is clearance for a 38. The bike rides smooth as silk and I’m excited to get the full ride report from him!